Either way, he’d surprised me. And that wouldn’t be happening again, especially now that I knew he’d grown in his abilities.
My heart beat against my ribcage, my breath coming in erratically as I clenched my fists at my sides. He should be dead. He shouldn’t have gotten to Gray before I did. She was mine.
And Slate. That two-faced shithead had always wanted Gray, always hellbent on taking her from me.
My entire arm burned from where he’d touched my shoulder with his otherworldly abilities. He thought he was special because he was different. I’d have to remind him otherwise.
A twisting guilt flared up inside me. No, I didn’t hate Slate. He was like my brother. We’d been through so much together. He’d given everything up to help me. I’d given him my grace to makeGray happy. And he did. He kept her safe. He’d been loyal to the cause for years. The murderous hatred I held for him wasn’t really me.
I began to hyperventilate as I battled myself internally. When I realized what was happening, tears welled up in my eyes. Even now, after what I’d just done, Slate was still looking out for me and Gray. He’d healed me from the Syphon Bond, bringing the real me back.
The Hollow was destroyed now, so the Elementals could no longer hide.
Orion. No…
My knees gave out beneath me as I bit my bottom lip to suppress the sob that locked up my throat. Guilt, shame, and grief threatened to explode from my chest, which undoubtedly would send my shadows flailing throughout the room, destroying everything in their path. But I didn’t want to destroy anymore. Everything I’d done since I turned Infernal repulsed me. I wanted out.
I cradled my face in my hands, letting my tears flow as I sat with what I’d done. “I’m so sorry, Orion. You were the father I never had. You didn’t deserve that.” My shoulders shook, and I sank further to the floor.
As much as the barrage of emotions agonized me, I welcomed them. Anything was better than the cold and heartless existence I’d been living.
Gods, I really hope Gray read the letter I gave her.
And as if she sensed my moment of weakness, Celanea’s summon gripped my mind.“Come, my sweet pet. Meet me in the throne room.”
I shoved my fingers into the roots of my hair, gripping the strands tightly with a groan. She always had such uncanny timing. At her call, Slate’s magic dissipated, and I immediately snapped out of it. I had to serve the queen who’d entrapped me.
I swiped angrily at my cheeks, disgusted by the tears I shed.
Slate would suffer immensely for this.
The moment she called me, my mind and body had no choice but to respond. Yet, I fought against the pull. I couldn’t go into theTempest queen’s throne room full of rage. That never worked well for me. I needed to be strategic and in control.
I took a second to slow my heart through deep breaths, clinging to the image of Gray in my mind. Her black-and-white tresses whipped wildly around her, and her rainbow eyes glared at me in a challenge. Daring me to defy Celanea’s call.
The bond that Celanea had cast on my mind yanked as she grew impatient, dissolving my image of Gray, the salvageable pieces of my soul going with her.
When I entered the throne room, I was greeted by Celanea, Forest, and two other Tempests, standing on either side of their queen’s throne. Both Tempests were cloaked, their eyes sunken in and skin pallid.
I stood at attention, staring past Celanea while she crooned at my arrival. “Oh, my pet. I’ve missed you.”
Forest’s jaw clenched, his beard rippling like a breeze sifting through a meadow, but he remained silent. As much as I hated Celanea, it made my heart swell to piss him off with her affection. Sometimes I played into it just to get under his skin more, even though the idea of Celanea touching me was enough to make me want to heave.
“Are you familiar with the Wind Kingdom?” Celanea asked, her voice lilting with a creepy childlike innocence.
I shook my head. “No, my queen.”
“Ah, that’s so disappointing,” Celanea said, sighing. “There’s so much for you to learn about Arcadia. I didn’t think of the long-term consequences when I cast you out all those years ago.”
Forest stepped closer to her side, caressing his knuckles from her temple to her jaw. “There’s no way you could’ve known, beautiful. You’ve always had such brilliant foresight.”
Celanea kept her eyes pinned on me, pinching her lips together. “The Kingdom of Wind, led by Brecken, is where your answers about the Seraphite Stone lie. They protect it by hiding behind impenetrable wards.”
I dipped my chin in acknowledgment. “What lies within the Kingdom of Wind, my queen?”
“The Druids,” she spat. “Or what remains of them. I figured their arrogance would’ve had them fully extinct by now, but their Elder stubbornly remains.”
“Where is the Wind Kingdom?” I kept my gaze planted on the stained-glass windows behind Celanea’s throne.
